Not Chakra Exhaustion
by DimiGex
Summary: "Sensei," Naruto looked dead on his feet. "He won't stop crying. Hinata is still out of town representing the Hyuuga at the meeting in Suna and Sakura-chan is on a mission. I thought I could do this, but I can't. I haven't slept in," Naruto held up two fingers and started at them confusedly, adding one, then another. "A while," he finally concluded.


**Rating:** General

 **Words:** 1,200

 **Pairing:** None

 **Warnings/Summary:** This is unrepentant fluff in which Kakashi is way better at everything, baby Boruto, overwhelmed Naruto, did I mention fluff?

 **Author's Note:** I'm still around, apparently writing, editing, and posting fluff. Thanks to Cinlat (as usual) for looking over this and flailing with me at the cuteness that could have been. This was loosely inspired by an image on Tumblr but I couldn't find it again to link. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Kakashi's eyes flew open at the sound of someone pounding on his door. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was just after two in the morning. Clutching a kunai in his hand, the man padded toward the front of his apartment. He probably didn't need the weapon. Chances were high that an attacker wouldn't knock, but Kakashi hated not having something to protect himself with.

Since he'd become Hokage, assassins had come after Kakashi a handful of times. They had never gotten close enough to break through his bodyguards, though. The person on the other side of the door was almost certainly one of his guards or advisors. There had probably been an attack on the village, an urgent mission report that couldn't wait until morning, or some other emergency that needed the Hokage's immediate attention.

The knock came again, more urgent this time and accentuated by a cry. Frowning, Kakashi flipped his weapon up and laid it on the table by the door. A frazzled mess of blankets and blond hair stood on Kakashi's welcome mat when he peered out. Naruto bounced half-heartedly, tears rimming his blue eyes.

"Sensei," the boy looked dead on his feet. "He won't stop crying. Hinata is still out of town representing the Hyuuga at the meeting in Suna and Sakura-chan is on a mission. I thought I could do this, but I can't. I haven't slept in," Naruto held up two fingers and started at them confusedly, adding one, then another. "A while," he finally concluded.

Pushing the door open, Kakashi stepped aside so Naruto could come into the apartment. "You do realize that it's the middle of the night, right?" The jonin stumbled into the room, dropping blankets and burp cloths on his way to the couch. The bundle in his arms screamed louder, an ear-splitting sound that made Kakashi cringe.

"He won't stop. I don't know what he wants. I can't be like Hinata, she always knows what he needs. I'm a terrible dad." The words stuttered out between sobs, mostly from exhaustion Kakashi suspected. "What if he never stops crying, what if it's all my fault. What if-"

"Okay, okay," Kakashi comforted awkwardly, reaching for the baby. "It can't be that bad."

There were no less than three blankets wrapped around the tiny body to hold it against Naruto's chest. Peeling them away, Kakashi picked up the little boy. Blue eyes, even brighter than Naruto's blinked up before the wails continued. Naruto dropped a bag from his shoulder, spilling the contents onto the floor. Kakashi glanced down at them, then at his former student who looked dazed.

Kakashi bounced Boruto briefly, then began to pace around the apartment. The cries grew softer after several moments, both from Naruto and his son. Kakashi paused to put a hand on his student's sagging shoulders. "I'm sorry that he's so loud, sensei," Naruto groaned.

Kakashi frowned and scrubbed a hand over his face. "He's not crying anymore." The baby had fallen silent after a few trips around the small room, nestled against Kakashi's chest. He knew that Naruto was completely out of touch with reality before he even spoke. The younger man had failed to comment on Kakashi's lack of shirt or mask when he first answered the door.

Naruto laughed humorlessly, a desperate sound that almost sounded like a sob. "He's not crying? I can still hear it."

"Alright, get up." Kakashi pitched his voice low enough not to startle the baby, and wrinkled his nose at the smell of old milk and spit-up that surrounded Naruto. "Stop wallowing on my couch. Go take a shower while I feed him."

The blond started to argue, but Kakashi gave him the _I'm not kidding_ look. Naruto frowned, finally seeming to realize that he could actually see Kakashi's expression. The baby chose that moment to begin mewling again, edging toward cries, and Kakashi moved away. Naruto shook his head in confusion as he stood and stumbled toward the bathroom connected to Kakashi's bedroom.

When the door clicked shut behind the jonin, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief and took a seat on the couch. "He's not very good at this yet," he mumbled softly, looking down at the tiny version of his student. The baby had a fist stuffed in his mouth, sucking on it. Kakashi rifled through the contents of Naruto's bag and found a bottle half filled with water and a canister of formula. After reading through the instructions, he mixed them together and settled the baby in the crook of his arm.

As he held Naruto's son, Kakashi's eyes drifted toward the old picture of his genin team and Minato's smiling face. A familiar pang rushed through Kakashi's chest as he pulled a blanket over his arm and tucked it around the infant. _I couldn't do right by Naruto, sensei, but I'll do my best to help him with his son. I wish you could see him. He wants so badly to be perfect, to give Boruto everything that he never had._ The thought brought an ache that was too painful to examine so Kakashi shied away from it.

Bringing himself back to the moment, Kakashi finished burping and feeding the baby. For good measure, he changed Boruto's diaper, and snuggled him into the blanket as well. The tiny blond looked completely contented. "Let's go check on your dad, little man," Kakashi said softly, just short of a coo. Elite shinobi didn't coo over babies, and the Hokage certainly didn't.

When Kakashi pushed the door to his bedroom open, he could hear the shower running. A single strip of light spilled across the dark floor from the partially opened bathroom door. "Everything okay?" Kakashi asked.

Getting no response, Kakashi pushed open the door and had to stifle a laugh. Steam filled the room from the running shower, but Naruto was slumped, still fully clothed, between the shower and the toilet, head resting on his knees. The boy's chest rose and fell in the steady rhythm of sleep, a soft snore rattling in his throat. Shaking his head, Kakashi turned off the water and carried the baby back to his bed, settling him in the middle.

Going back to the bathroom, Kakashi pulled Naruto to his feet and slid an arm around his waist. He deposited the boy on the couch, then threw a blanket over him. After Naruto was settled, Kakashi picked up the bag of necessary supplies. Boruto still lay in the middle of his bed, blue eyes looking up at the ceiling. Sitting carefully on the edge, Kakashi picked up the boy and gave him a pacifier he'd found in Naruto's bag.

"You've got to give your dad a break, okay," Kakashi said seriously, looking down at the baby that he settled against his chest. "And since it's just us tonight, you're going to let me get some sleep. I'm the Hokage and you're going to be a ninja, so you have to listen to me." Boruto made a sleepy, half cry, and Kakashi chuckled. "Yeah, your dad was never very good at listening either."


End file.
